


Rhubarb and Black Coffee

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, F/F, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 08:04:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2221656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa spent most of her time at work or home, and she stuck to her brother's circle of friends. Then she met Sasha. Bakery!AU. Mikasasha, others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhubarb and Black Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Been working on this one for a while. No idea how many chapters I'm going to have, and aside from a skeleton outline I'm kind of winging it. This is also my first time writing a lot of these characters, so please bear with me!
> 
> This fic has been crossposted from tumblr, by the way.

Mikasa was by all accounts a quiet person.

She tended to come off as cold, or at least people had said so, but the plain truth of the matter was that she was rather introverted, and a bit shy, so dealing with people was not her forte. That said, of course she had good friends, people she got along with- her foster brother Eren, his fiance Jean and their collective friends Armin and Annie. But aside from her boss at the gym where she worked, Mikasa's social circle didn't extend any further, and she didn't have any desire to make it do so.

That was why she had left the guest list and invitations and planning for Eren and Jean's engagement party to Armin. He was softspoken like her, but it was more that he was careful what he said and less that he didn't know _what_ to say.

Mikasa had still lent a hand here and there, packing invitations into envelopes and dropping them off at the post office, putting up decorations, helping decide what would be written on the cake- which Armin had ordered meticulously and specifically from the combination cafe and bakery that Jean and Eren ate lunch at frequently.

That was where quiet Mikasa was headed right now. The party was in two hours, and Armin had gotten caught up with making dinner when Marco- Jean's college roommate- had cut his hand and had to bow out.

“It's called Spud's. Weird name aside, it's a great place, and the owner's a riot, or so Jean says.” Armin had said over the phone, “The order's under Arlert, so just say you're picking it up and you'll be out of there in no time.”

There was only a slight problem with Armin's words, and Mikasa discovered it as she found the bakery, nestled on a corner street in the older part of town where all the artsy shops and homes were. It was painted and decorated in earthy tones and rustic props- but the problem was that the dinner rush was in, and there was a long line.

Sighing deeply, knowing she hadn't any other choice, Mikasa shuffled into the back of the line and waited quietly, pulling her red scarf up over her mouth and hoping it would deter other customers from making any conversation. In the meantime, she looked around the shop at the photographs and paintings on the walls, the chalkboard behind the counter with specials and menu items written out in cute handwriting, the case filled with pastries. She inhaled the smell of rich coffee and spicy teas, and decided that, minus the noise and crowd, this place would be perfect for sitting down with a book and a drink during the winter and killing time.

The line was long, but the tiny blonde woman at the counter was efficient and quick at taking orders, and the tall freckled woman behind her was a good barista, so it was really only a few minutes before Mikasa found herself at the counter, facing them both down. The blonde's nametag read 'Historia' and the tall woman's was 'Ymir.'

“What can we get for you?” Asked Historia. Mikasa fumbled for a moment, trying to remember whether it was Armin's first or last name that the cake was under.

“A-armin Arlert. I'm picking up a cake for him.” She stuttered, settling on both for good measure.

A smile broke out on the small woman's face. “Oh, for Jean and Eren's thing. They're our favorite regulars.” she commented, “Sasha made the cake herself, so I guarantee it'll be delicious.”

Mikasa tilted her head in confusion. She had no idea who Sasha was. Eren and Jean spoke fondly of their favorite cafe, but they had never been particularly specific about any of the staff- mostly about the food and the coffee.

“That's our boss.” Chimed in Ymir, who was now wiping down a counter, “She's out picking a few things up, though. Too bad you missed her.”

“Oh.” Mikasa said dumbly, “I see.”

“Let me get you that cake.” Historia said, and she disappeared beyond a swinging door and into the back of the shop.

As soon as she was gone, Ymir ceased wiping off the counter and leaned on it with her elbows. “So, black hair, red scarf...and you're pretty quiet. You wouldn't be Jaeger's sister, would you?”

Mikasa mouthed a moment. But she remembered that Eren and Jean were regulars at this shop, and it did make sense that she might have been mentioned before. She settled for a quiet nod. Ymir's grin was wolfish, but it didn't seem very threatening- maybe that was just the way her face worked.

“Eren bitches about you being overprotective a lot.” Ymir informed.

Mikasa twitched. “I can't say I'm surprised.” She admitted- and made a mental note to be absolutely merciless the next time they were in the ring at the gym together.

“Well, be careful with the cake. Sasha's painstaking serious about sweets, she'll be heartbroken if it isn't perfect for those idiots.”

“She sounds dedicated.” Mikasa said to Ymir, and at that moment, Historia came back out front with a box held in her hands.

“She is,” Ymir said as if the tiny woman wasn't there, “Mostly she's just a glutton. Probably why she got into baking in the first place.”

Historia placed the box into Mikasa's now waiting hands. “Armin paid up front, so you don't need to worry about the fee. Give Eren and Jean our best.”

Mikasa nodded and turned to go.

“Come on over and have a coffee some time, Ackerman.” Ymir commented to her back, “Sasha's always happy to have customers around.”

 

**[transition]**

Mikasa arrived at Jean's house- soon to be Eren's as well- just in time for the festivities to begin, and after being subjected to some hearty cheering for bringing the cake, she sequestered herself to a corner with some food and watched everyone interacting. Annie came over for a while and they played a game of chess, but she was swept away by her girlfriend Mina after that and Mikasa was left to her own devices once more.

Just as she was considering getting up to grab another drink, Eren showed up with two slices of cake and two beers, and sat down next to her. Jean was on the other side of the room chatting with Marco and Armin about something. They were all laughing.

“Hey there, sister.” Eren said.

Mikasa spared him a nod. “Eren.”

“Thanks for grabbing the cake today.” he said as he placed a slice in front of her, “You should try some. Great stuff, I promise.”

Mikasa stared for a long moment. “The girls at the counter said the owner made it?”

“Sasha? Yeah. She's a riot.” Eren commented, “Great about interacting with customers. She can come off kind of irresponsible at first, but she's actually got herself together pretty well once you get to know her.”

Mikasa picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake. Eren was right about it being delicious. It tasted strongly of chocolate, but it was also spicy and aromatic and the frosting was sweet without being overpowering. Mikasa hadn't any idea whether this Sasha person was anything like the reports, but her cooking was certainly as good as advertised.

“Great stuff, right?” Eren asked, “Jean and I ordered this our first time there.”

Mikasa nodded slowly. “It's very good...maybe I'll try going there for some more. When it's less busy.”

Eren seemed to light up. “Hey, great idea! It's usually pretty quiet there in the mornings and on Sundays, just as a tip.”

Mikasa continued eating. She wondered if she could finagle with Petra into changing her hours around so she could stop somewhere for coffee on her way to work from now on.

 

**[transition]**

As it turned out, finagling with Petra was nearly unnecessary. She seemed to be under the impression that Mikasa didn't need to open the gym every day anyhow, and so her hours were bumped back a little three times a week starting that next Wednesday.

It was still in the warm part of spring then, so that morning Mikasa got up early, put on a tee shirt and jeans and grabbed the bag with her workclothes, and took her sputtering old station wagon all the way to Spud's. True to Eren's word, it was fairly quiet there compared to the crowded atmosphere from her last visit.

She left her gym bag in the car and shuffled through the door, noting the cheerful tinkle of the bell above that she hadn't been able to hear before. Historia was at the counter again, and she looked up with a smile, doe eyes wide with delight.

“Oh, how nice to see you again!” she said pleasantly. Mikasa nodded, unsure what else to say.

“Um...” She started, after a long and tense silence, “What would you recommend...?”

“Oh, my.” Historia tapped her mouth with her index finger, “Well, there's a lot to choose from, especially this early in the morning. Why don't we ask Sasha?”

Before Mikasa could even form a thought of protest, Historia had disappeared in back, leaving her helpless to do anything but wait.

When she returned, a taller woman with tanned skin and rich brown hair was behind her. Warm, dark eyes landed on Mikasa, who looked away immediately. _So that's Sasha_. She noted. She was very pretty, and her face seemed to be pasted with a likely constant goofy grin.

“Hiya! Mikasa, right?” She said, wiping her hands on her apron, “I'm Sasha Braus. Your brother's told me a bit about you.”

“He's never mentioned you before.” Mikasa admitted stoically.

Sasha's face spread into a look of pure shock. She clapped her hands to her cheeks dramatically. “Why, I never!” She exclaimed, and it was then that Mikasa realized she was trying to be funny.

She didn't laugh, but she allowed a small smile. Sasha seemed satisfied with that and lowered her arms.

“So,” said the baker, “Historia told me you were looking for some help picking an order.”

Again, Mikasa nodded. In truth she didn't often go to cafes. She often got takeout or cooked for herself, and the only coffee she really drank was plain and black and came from the coffeemaker at her apartment.

But once Sasha had her attention, they made progress. She asked Mikasa how strong she liked her coffee, what fruits or spices she liked, and did she like potatoes- that last one caught her off guard, but Mikasa answered with a 'yes, I suppose so' anyway.

Finally, Sasha got into the case full of pastries and picked out something braided and sprinkled with sugar crystals.

“This is full of rhubarb.” She said, “I think you'll like it, it's nice and sweet and tart. And I'll get you a plain black coffee.”

Quick as a wink, Sasha had given Mikasa her order and taken her payment with a wink and said “I hope you enjoy it!”

Mikasa sat at a table in the corner. Sasha hadn't lied about the pastry, it was delicious. It was also the first time Mikasa had ever tasted rhubarb, and she was glad to have taken the proprietor's advice and bought it.

Sasha had returned behind the swinging door by the time Mikasa got up to leave, but Historia was sitting at the counter ready to help any customers that walked in. A little unsure, Mikasa paused.

Historia looked up, resting face looking a bit solemn, and waited for her to speak.

“Erm...Sasha...tell her I liked it. The food, I mean. And the coffee.”

Historia smiled softly. “She'll be happy to hear that. Come back again some time.”

“I will.” Mikasa said.

She spent the drive to work contemplating the taste of rhubarb still lingering in her mouth, and Sasha's amicable smile.


End file.
